


Tea for Two and Two for Tea

by tinybox



Series: unreality_strikes_back.exe [23]
Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Deja Vu, Secret Crush, Social Anxiety, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:42:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22965604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinybox/pseuds/tinybox
Summary: A nice cup of tea and a good friend makes reading more enjoyable.
Series: unreality_strikes_back.exe [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1619047
Kudos: 4





	Tea for Two and Two for Tea

_I know Sayori told me not to worry about her, and to have fun with everyone else...but that's impossible to do when she's behaving like this._

_...There's nothing I can do but wait for Monika._

***Save**

I sit in silence, tapping my fingers against the desk.

_Why does it feel like I'm being watched...?_

Stilling my fingers, I glance around the room, and quickly spot Yuri peering curiously at me from over her book. When I make eye contact with Yuri, she quickly looks away, a flustered look on her face.

_Since I've never seen Yuri approach anyone or start a conversation on her accord...I have to be brave and approach her myself._

_...By now, though, it's a little easier for me to do that._

Standing up from my desk, I walk over and sit in the one next to Yuri.

"I didn't mean to bother you or anything..." Yuri mumbles.

"Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong," I assure her.

Yuri looks at me doubtfully. "But...I could tell that you wanted to be alone with your thoughts..."

"...How were you even able to tell I was thinking like that?" I ask. 

Yuri shrugs. "Well..." she begins, "it's something I do a lot...so it wasn't hard to spot based on your posture and expression."

She suddenly looks panicked. "N-Not that I was staring or anything...!" Yuri stutters. "I didn't do anything creepy like that...!"

"I'm a chronic worrier," I admit. "Usually I go talk to Sayori when I'm feeling anxious, but...never mind, I don't want to bother you with my issues. I'm sorry if I cause you any concern."

"Don't apologize..." Yuri says, her voice soft yet firm at the same time. "Your troubles are only the concern of those who willing share in that concern. Of course, there are certainly those who find the most comfort in keeping to themselves...but if you would prefer to share what's on your mind, then I would be glad to listen."

"...I've been worrying about Sayori, recently. Especially today...she just seems a little off, and I've tried asking her what's wrong but she didn't want to say anything to me. So I can't help but wonder if something happened to her."

"Oh? That does sound curious..." Yuri ponders. "And a little romantic."

"E-Eh...?" I stammer, not sure if I heard her correctly.

Yuri's face goes bright red as she turns away from me. "S-Sorry!" Yuri stutters, "I didn't mean to say something stupid...!"

"It's alright, it's alright. No harm done. A lot of people think we're a couple, and I don't blame them. Sayori and I have been friends for a long time, and there's always going to be assumptions about our relationship. But we're just friends." 

Taking I deep breath, I continue. "Of course, whenever I say that, it sounds like I'm in denial or something, but...well, um...anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Sayori and I aren't dating."

Yuri looks a lot less embarrassed than she was before my explanation. 

"Ah, I see..." Yuri says thoughtfully. "Then perhaps it is unusual for her to be dismissive to you about her feelings..."

I sigh. "Maybe I'm just reading into it too much..."

"Kaito, the world is full of meaning, often hidden deep within plain sight. And there are many untold mysteries behind every person, no matter how well you know them."

"So...do you think there may be something behind it after all?" I ask, nervously biting my lower lip with my front teeth. 

"Mm..." Yuri hums thoughtfully, "I think Sayori is a very complex person. Her mannerisms on the outside don't always match what may be going on inside her head, and she may not know what she wants. I noticed her strange behavior earlier today, too...and I also feel some concern for her. But...in your case, it looked like she was fully occupying your thoughts, wasn't she?"

"I guess you could say that...but there isn't anything romantic going on! We're just good friends..."

Yuri suddenly looks deeply into my eyes, her expression gentle and curious, as if she was searching for something in my expressions.

Embarrassed, I advert my gaze to the floor.

"Sometimes," Yuri begins, "a person's mysteries are untold even to themselves. And you, as someone honest and caring...may uncover feelings you weren't aware were in you."

My cheeks begin to warm.

"T-That is," Yuri then stutters, "I think that...she would be a very fortunate person to have you feel that way about her."

"You don't have to be nice, Yuri," I say with a cheerful wink. "I know that I'm not anything special. If anything, I would be lucky to have someone feel that way about _me_ instead of the other way around."

"T-That's not true!" Yuri blurts out, sounding angry for the first time. "Y-You shouldn't say stuff like that!"

Instantly, Yuri clasps her hands over her mouth, eyes wide, cheeks flushing bright red.

"Anyway," I quickly say, "as long as we're here, why don't we do some reading?"

Yuri nods, blush fading from her face. "As long as you're okay with it," she says, sounding a little shy.

"I'm almost finished chapter five," I tell Yuri. "I didn't want to ruin the book, so I wrote down on my arm what page I stopped at. In hindsight, I could have just used some paper...but I was super tired at the time, and my brain wasn't thinking right."

I show Yuri the number on my arm. 

When she sees that I'm smiling, Yuri gives me a small smile in return.

"Actually," Yuri begins, "I have a request...do you mind if I make some tea first?"

"Not at all."

"If there's one thing that can make my reading time any better, it's a nice cup of tea. Not to mention for yourself, as well." 

Standing up, Yuri makes her way to the closet; I follow and watch as she retrieves a small water pitcher from the shelf- the kind with a filter inside. 

"Can you hold this for a second?" Yuri asks, offering me the water pitcher.

"Sure," I reply, taking the pitcher from her hands. 

Yuri then pulls out an electric kettle. "I'm going to plug this in at the teacher's desk, and then we'll go get some water."

Walking past me, Yuri sets the kettle on the teacher's desk.

Meanwhile, I can't help but watch her movements.

To my surprise, the way she walks really contrasts her speaking mannerisms. Especially because of her long legs, Yuri appears elegant and methodical.

_Is it weird that I'm looking at her legs?_

_Does this make me some kind of.... leg pervert?_

_...Is that even a thing???_

"Okay, may I have the water pitcher?" Yuri asks.

I hand over the water pitcher. 

"Thanks, I'll be right back."

"Want me to come along?"

"Sure, why not?" Yuri agrees. "Shall we go, then?"

Monika, sitting at one of the front desks, looks up from her notebook. "Hm? Where are you two off to?"

"Eh? We're just...Yuri was going to make some tea, so..."

I suddenly realize how weird it sounds to explain this to Monika. 

"We're just filling the water pitcher," I tell Monika. "Do you want some tea as well?"

Monika shakes her head. "No, I'm good! It's just...that's kind of a one-person job, isn't it?"

I scramble to think of a good reason for me to come along. "...There's a vending machine nearby the water fountain, and I thought it would be nice to get some chocolate tea biscuits."

Monika eyes me suspiciously. "Kaito, we both know that the vending machines don't-"

"Monika," Yuri interrupts, "please mind your own business for once. Or do you want to tell me there's something wrong with helping involve Kaito in club activities?"

"E-Eh?" Monika gasps, looking a bit bewildered at Yuri's sudden change in behavior. "I suppose there's nothing wrong with that..." 

"Hmph," Yuri delicately huffs. "Let's go, Kaito."

Yuri quickly exits the room, and I follow.

Once in the hallway, she suddenly puts her forehead against the wall, whimpering a little under her breath. 

"Yuri?"

"I spoke without thinking..." Yuri whispers. "How could I say something like that...?'

"Yuri...you haven't done anything wrong. In fact, I think you're in the right. Monika was acting like a jerk."

"B-But I shouldn't be mean to Monika, not when she's such a good person..."

"Even a good person can act like a jerk, you know? It's not right for Monika to judge people like that, and if you're upset by something, it's not wrong to speak up for yourself."

"Kaito...how come even when I do something bad...you're still nice to me?" 

"You're not doing anything bad, Yuri. We all have emotions, and hiding them away isn't healthy. Don't let your brain turn a light shower into a hurricane."

"A-Ah," Yuri murmurs. "Wouldn't you hate me for something as terrible as that...?"

"Why would I hate you? I can't hate you for having emotions...that would hypocritical. Besides, what kind of friend would do that?"

"Friend...you say?" Yuri questions, lifting her head. "Ah...um..." 

Yuri takes a deep breath. "Kaito, I really like...being friends with you!"

"T-Thanks, Yuri," I stammer. "I like being friends with you, too..."

I feel kind of awkward saying this to someone other than Sayori, but I'm doing my best to help Yuri feel better. 

Yuri and I walk to the nearest water fountain. 

Once we fill up the water pitcher, we return to the classroom.

***Save**

"Kaito, do you like oolong tea?" Yuri asks.

I shrug. "Sounds good to me."

"Very well," Yuri says with a small smile, setting the temperature on the kettle to 200 degrees. "Now it's time to get the teapot."

"You really do this properly, don't you?"

"Of course...I shouldn't do anything less when making tea for others."

"Even if I'm not an expert on tea or anything...?"

"Huhu," Yuri softly giggles. "In that case, you'll only be more impressed."

"Ah...perhaps I will."

Yuri fetches the teapot and begins measuring the leaves, quietly humming a little.

I don't recognize the tune, or I would have started humming along as well. Since I don't, I instead comment, "You must be in a good mood now..."

"Is that so? I was letting it show...and you noticed. I was doing a bit of thinking...and I decided I would try expressing myself a little bit more. It turns out that it's not very hard for me to do...when it's you who I'm around, anyway."

I can feel my face starting to warm. "Ah...that's great, Yuri! Just don't push yourself too much."

"You're always worrying about me, Kaito...it's very endearing."

I watch Yuri pour a cup of tea for each of us.

"Kaito, I have another request. Do you mind if we sit on the floor today? It's a little easier on my back...I can read with my back against the wall rather than bending over at my desk."

"Ah, sorry, I didn't realize!" I quickly apologize.

"No worries. I just have back pain fairly regularly, so I do my best to manage it."

"Back pain is the worst," I sympathize. "Do you know what's causing it?"

"It's most likely because my-" Yuri begins, before suddenly blanching in the middle of her sentence. "A-Ah, it's m-my..."

_Get your mind out of the gutter, Kaito! She obviously means..._

"Your posture, right? Always hunched over like that while reading..."

"Yes!" Yuri hurriedly agrees. "I have terrible reading posture! So that's why we should sit on the floor."

"I've always wanted to rebel against the system in some way or another," I joke. "Anyway, I'll go get the book."

I retrieve the book from my bag, and while doing so, I spot the small bag of chocolates that I keep hidden from Sayori's candy radar. Since it'll go with the tea, I take the candy with me. 

Yuri and I then sit at the wall, teacups at our sides. As if it sync, we assume the same reading position as last time, each holding one half of the book.

Except this time....our bodies are even closer to each other.

_Don't do or say anything weird or creepy!_

"I can't see too well," Yuri murmurs, before sliding closer.

_...Is this what it feels like to have a heart attack?_

Yuri hands me my tea cup with a soft smile. Holding it with my hand that's not holding the book, I end up in a position that makes it even harder to focus... _because now I need to focus on making sure I don't accidentally touch her chest!_

Meanwhile, Yuri hasn't noticed a single thing. 

She wears her intense reading expression, and I can only presume the world around her has faded away. 

In an attempt to calm my nerves, I take a sip of tea.

To my surprise, I actually feel a little calmer.

After a few minutes, I manage to relax enough to focus on reading. 

Taking a sip of tea, I remember the chocolates; I put the teacup between my legs and fumble with the chocolate wrapper. 

"Ah...one second," I murmur, and briefly let go of the book to finish opening the wrapper. "You can have as many as you want, by the way," I offer.

To my surprise, Yuri shakes her head. "Ah, that's...that's okay, I won't take anything."

_Wait, why am I surprised?_

_...I guess it's because I'm used to hanging out with someone who's always hungry._

"It's okay, I don't mind sharing," I say reassuringly. 

"Well...if I touch it, then the chocolate might get smudges on the pages," Yuri worries. 

"Ah, you're right. I didn't even think about that. My bad..."

I look down at my hand, and realize that my fingertips are stained with chocolate. 

"No need to apologize," Yuri soothingly says. "I'll hold the book, okay?"

Yuri opens the book with both hands, making sure that it's easy to read from my position. But in doing so, her arm is now resting on my leg. 

I pop the chocolate in my mouth.

Yuri is already totally focused on her reading again; I take out another chocolate, and eat that as well. 

Then, I take out a third chocolate...and hold it up to Yuri. She doesn't even look away from her book- she just parts her lips, as if this situation was completely natural to her.

_Well, I can't stop now..._

I apprehensively place the chocolate in her mouth, and just like that, Yuri closes her lips around it. 

Yuri's expression suddenly breaks.

Quickly swallowing the chocolate, she looks at me like she needs to confirm what just happened. 

"S-Sorry!" I quickly stutter. "I wasn't thinking..."

"Ah, that's..." Yuri breathes. "Well...y-you were just helping. That's something that...friends do...right?"

My face feels like it's on fire. "...I guess it depends on the context," I mumble. "It doesn't need to be anything more if you don't want it to be...actually, just forget what I just said, okay? I'm just rambling like an idiot..."

"You're not an idiot," Yuri quietly disagrees. "And...you don't need to stop or anything..."

The tension in the air is thick enough to cut with a knife; Yuri's gaze quickly returns to her book, but I can see she's having a harder time focusing. 

I nervously take another chocolate between my fingers, just as Yuri's eyes meet mine. She doesn't look away as I raise my arm up, but simply parts her lips, patiently waiting for the chocolate. 

Gently, I place the chocolate in her mouth; for a moment, I can feel her soft lips against my fingertips. 

"Okay everyone!" Monika calls out to the rest of the room. "It's time to share poems!"

Both of us startle at the sound of Monika's voice, and I nearly knock my teacup over.

"Kaito, you can help Yuri put away the tea stuff, right?"

"Y-Yeah, of course," I stutter.

Monika smiles sweetly. "Okay, thanks!"

The spell is abruptly broken.

"...I'll take care of the cups," Yuri says quietly, picking them up from the floor. 

I pick up the bag of chocolates. 

In the end, we clean up without so much as a word between us. 

_I get the feeling this is something neither of us will have the courage to bring up..._

***Save**


End file.
